Adjustable body support



y 28, 1968 o. GREINER 3,385,630

ADJUSTABLE BODY SUPPORT Original Filed Sept. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 8, 1968 O. GREINER 3,385,630

ADJUSTABLE BODY SUPPORT Original Filed Sept. 5, .1965 2 Sheets-Shet 2 mvmrron om cunts:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-19) This invention relates to adjustable body supports, sleeping beds and refers more particularly to folding and positional beds. The present application is a division of application Ser. No. 484,883 filed Sept. 3, 1965 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my patent application, Ser. No. 341,836, filed Ian. 27, 1964 now patent No. 3,306,659.

There are many constructions of beds including folding camp beds, as well as beds for use in bedrooms, wherein the supporting area of the bed consists of a main section which is the seat portion and a back portion which is pivotally connected therewith, whereby the user while lying on the bed by shifting his weight can change it from a lying position to a seating position and vice versa. Constructions of this type are well built and convenient for the user only when the back can be set in all intermediate positions and when in every location within the entire range of movement the back can be moved by the user forwardly or rearwardly with equal ease.

These conditions are difficult to attain for the reason that in the seating position the larger part of the Weight of the user presses against the main seat section of the bed, while only a small part of the weight presses against the back, while in the lying position pressure of the occupant upon the seat section is diminished while pressure upon the back is increased.

An object of the present invention is the provision of constructions which will overcome these difliculties.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide a bed having two pivotally interconnected sections corresponding to human body structure, the seat section having a support adjacent its outer end, while below the pivotal connection on both sides of the bed there is a support consisting of two supporting arms extending toward each other to form a V and interconnected by a joint at their lower ends, the upper end of one supporting arm being swingably connected to the seat section while the upper end of the other supporting arm is swingably connected to the back section, and whereby one supporting arm 'has the shape of a two armed lever, the arms of the lever forming an angle of less than 180 but somewhat more than 90.

In the case of a folding camp bed the two armed lever is advantageously formed by bending the lower end of one supporting arm in the shape of a curve directed toward the other arm, the point of contact of the curved portion with the ground constituting the fulcrum of the two armed lever.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example, preferred embodiments of the inventive idea:

In the drawings:

FIGURES 1 to illustrate a folding camp bed constructed in accordance with the present invention whereby FIGURE 1 is a side view of the frame of the folding camp bed in the stretched out position.

FIGURE 2 is a side view in a sitting position.

FIGURE 3 shows in side view, partly in section and 3,385,630 Patented May 28, 1968 on a larger scale the pivotal connection of a support at the foot end of the bed with the bed frame.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the construction shown in FIG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section along the line VV of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 6 shows on a larger scale in side view and partly in section the pivotal connection of the supporting arm with the seat section.

FIGURE 7 is a section along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6

FIGURE 8 is similar to FIG. 7 but shows the parts in a different position.

FIGURE 9 is a section through the pivotal connection of the transverse tubes of the main support.

FIGURE 10 is a side view of the construction shown in FIG. 9.

FIGURES 11 to 14 illustrate beds of regular type constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, whereby FIGURE 11 is a side view of a bed, a side board of the bed having been removed.

FIGURE 12 shows on a larger scale in side View the equilibrium providing device when the bed is in the lying position.

FIGURE 13 shows the same device in the sitting position of the bed.

FIGURE 14 is a side view of a somewhat different bed, a side board of the bed having been removed, and illustrates a construction wherein the back connecting supports have the shape of two armed levers.

FIGURE 15 is a side view on a larger scale of a holding device for the swingable back.

FIGURE 16 is a section along the line XVIXVI of FIG. 15.

Since main supports located on opposite sides of the bed are of the same construction, supports located on only one side will be described hereinafter.

Similar parts are designated by the same numerals throughout the various figures.

FIGURES 1 to 10 show a frame for a folding camp bed having a seat section 1 and a back 2 connected with the seat section 1 by hinges 8. Supports 11 are connected to the seat section 1 close to the foot end thereof, while each of the two main supports extends on opposite sides of the hinges 8 and includes an arm 3 as well as a bent arm comprising a main portion 4 and a shorter angular portion 4a.

The foot supports 11 have curved bottom portions so as to facilitate uniform sliding on raw and uneven ground, such as sand or grass. They are swingably mounted close to the outer ends of the seat section 1 and can be folded inwardly. The swingable attachment to the seat section is provided by tubular straps 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4) mounted upon the tubular seat section 1 and having lower ends inserted in the upper ends of the tubular supports 11. Each strap 22 has a recess at its outwardly directed edge and a pin 23 fixed upon the frame 1 can enter this recess so as to hold the strap and the support connected therewith in the open position.

The supporting arms 3 connected to the seat section 1 and located at opposite sides of the bed frame are interconnected at their lower ends by a transverse tube 15 (FIG. 5), while the supporting arms 4, 4a are connected at their lower ends by a transverse tube 17 so as to provide greater side stability for the bed frame.

The seat supporting arms 3 are connected with the back supporting arms 4, 4a by two tubular pieces 16 which are loosely mounted upon the tube 15 interconnecting the arms 3 and the edges of which have the shape of a trapezoid (FIGS. 9 and 10). Screws 18 extend through ends of the wider side of the pieces 16 and also extend through the middle of the tubes 17 interconnecting the arms 4, 4a. The screws 18 are held in place by nuts 19.

-In folding beds of the described construction the bed sheets and covers can not be fixed to the transverse tubes at the head and the foot of the bed but must be attached to the longitudinal frame portions. This provides dithculties, since the longitudinal frame sections, besides the necessary hinges 8 are interrupted by the supports located outside the hinges and interfering with the placing of sheets and covers.

These difficulties are eliminated by so constructing the connections between the supporting arms 3 and 4, 4a on the one hand and the frame sections 1 and 2 on the other hand, that the supporting arms can be easily removed and then again attached to the bed after it has been provided with sheets and covers.

This connection of each of the upper ends of the supporting arms 3 and 4, 4a with the bed frame consists of a metal strap 21 mounted upon the bed frame and carrying below the bed frame a transversely extending bolt 20 having an outer flat surface portion directed toward the bed frame (FIGS. 6, 7 and 8). Each arm has at its upper end a hook 6 or 7 which is sufficiently wide in the direction perpendicular to that of the arm, so that the bolt 20 with its vertically reduced section can fit inside the hook.

. After the two parts 6 and 26 have been joined in this manner while the supporting arm extended perpendicularly to the bed frame (FIG. 8) and after the transverse tubes 15 and 17 have been swung outwardly, the opening of the hook will be turned relatively to the bolt 20 to such an extent that the two parts 6 and 20 can not be separated any more and serve as a secure pivot during the entire range of movement (FIG. 7).

The effect of the supporting arm connected with the back 2 of the bed frame and consisting of a longer portion 4 and a shorter portion 4a so as to constitute a twoarmed lever as follows:

When a person is lying on the bed the part of his weight pressing upon the seat portion 1 tends to press downwardly the supporting arm 3 and through it the connecting piece 16 between the two supporting arms. The part of the weight pressing against the back 2 tends to press downwardly the upper end 7 of the portion 4 of the supporting arm 4, 4a and to swing upwardly the end of the shorter arm 4a. When manufacturing the supporting arm 4, 4a the ratio of its component parts 4 and 4a can be so selected that when the back 2 is in an intermediate inclined position the force with which the seat-connected arm 3 tends to press the joint 16 downwardly, is equal to the force with which the weight exerted upon the back tends to swing upwardly the end of the short arm portion 4a and the joint 16 connected therewith.

If the back 2 is swung upwardly from an intermediate position into a seating position, the point of contact 9 of the supporting arm 4, 4a with the ground is changed, so that the length of the upper arm section 4 is increased and the length of the arm section 4a directed toward the joint 16 is decreased. In the seated position the pressure of the user against the back is smaller than it was in the intermediate position but it is now exerted against an arm section 4 of greater length; furthermore, the increased pressure of the user upon the seat portion 1 is then transmitted through the seat-connected arm 3 upon an arm section 4a which is now of shorter length. Thus according to the laws of mechanics the balance of forces is restored.

When going over into the lying position the length of the upper arm section 4 is shortened while the length of the arm section 4a directed toward the joint is increased. Again the balance of forces is reestablished following the laws of mechanics, since the diminished pressure of the seat section now is exerted upon the longer ill lower arm section 4a and the increased pressure of the back section is now exerted upon the shortened upper arm section 4.

Since forces exerted by the supporting arms are balanced in the joint 16 in all angular positions of the back, the user can move the back 2 forwardly or rearwardly into any angular position with the same case. During the upward swinging of the back the supports 11 at the foot of the bed will slide somewhat forwardly, while during a downward swinging of the back the supports 11 will slide rearwardly. This sliding of the foot supports along the ground provides a slight braking action which has a pleasant effect when the bed is being used.

Furthermore, the frame can be held in place through the provision of an arm 12 swingably supported by the frame section 1 and adapted to engage any one of projections 13, 14 carried by the arm 3.

The construction shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 pertains to the application of the above described device providing a balance between the seat portion and the swingable back, to a normal bed or a positional invalid bedstead.

The bed includes a seat or main portion 1 and a swingable back portion 2 joined by hinges 8. A support 3' is connected to the main portion 1 while a support 4' is connected to the back portion 2. In the illustrated construction the support 3' is provided with a bent end 3a so that it constitutes a lever with two arms of unequal length. A transverse axle 9" extends through the bend of the support and is firmly connected with the bed frame by plates 25. A ledge 24 supports the lower end of the main frame section 1.

The support 3 is pivotally connected by a joint 6 with the main frame portion 1 while the support 4 is pivotally connected by the joint 7 with the back 2. The portion 3a of the support 3' is connected with the support 4' by a joint 10.

The action of the combined supports is the same as in the previously described construction. Since the support 3', 3a constitutes a two-armed lever connected with the seat portion 1, the pressure of the occupant upon the seat portion 1 tends to swing the upper end joint 6 of the support portion 3 downwardly and the shorter lower end 311 upwardly about the axle 9', while the pressure of the occupant against the back is transmitted to the support 4' connected with the back and tends to push downwardly the end of the short portion 3a of the support. In the course of manufacture the lengths of the two portions 3 and 3a of the support can be made in any desired ratio, so that it is always possible to make them in such a ratio that in an intermediate inclination of the back the force with which the end joint 10' of the short portion 3a is pressed upwardly, is equal to the force with which the support 4 connected with the back tends to press th s end downwardly.

When the back is swung forward into a seating position and pressure of the user against the back is diminished, the angle [1 between the short support portion 3a and the back-connected support 4' is also diminished (FIG. 13). According to the rules of parallelograms of forces the larger portion of the pressure transmitted by the support 4 :acts upon the joint 10' tending to swing the short support portion 3a. This compensates for the diminution of the pressure of the user against the back.

If, however, the back is swung downwardly into the stretched lying position, the angle 19 between the short support portion 3a and the support 4 is increased and then a smaller part of the pressure of the support 4 upon the joint 10 serves as a force tending to swing the short support portion 3a. Thus the increase in pressure of the user upon the back is compensated.

In the course of manufacture of the construction of the present invention the angle a formed by the two support portions 3 and 3a can be made wider or narrower, until it practically forms a right angle; this will vary the part of the pressure of the back upon the joint which tends to swing the short lever arm 3a downwardly, to a lesser or greater extent when changing from a lying position to a sitting position. This change can be adapted to the desired requirements.

FIGURE 14 shows a construction wherein the same result is attained when the support 4" connected with the back has the shape of a bent two-armed lever. However, the lever must not be bent in the direction of the hinges 8 between the seat portion and the back, but must be bent in the opposite direction so that the pressure from the seat-connected support 3" upon the joint 10" between the .two supports will be divided into component forces according to the law of parallelograms of forces in such manner that in the lying position a larger portion of the diminished pressure of the user upon the seat frame portion 1 acts as the swinging force upon the short support portion 4a" of the back-connected support, while in the sea-ted position a smaller portion of the increased pressure of the user upon the seat frame portion 1 will act as the swinging force upon the short support portion 4a".

In comparison to the previously described folding camp bed, the beds of the type shown in FIGS. 11 and 14 are so constructed as far as the dimensions of the component parts are concerned, that the seat makes a smaller horizontal movement, which is desirable. Therefore, the ledges 24 fixed on both sides of the bed frame for the foot end of the mattress exert a smaller braking action than the supports at the foot end of the folding camp bed. Such a braking action provides, however, a certain stability in each angular position of the back. It is therefore necessary to provide a device which would hold the back in every angular position.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show such a device which includes a curved arm 26 which may be round or trapezoidal in cross-section and which hangs swingably from the under side of the back frame 2. A plate 27 having a trapezoidal recess is fixed to a side Wall of the bed frame perpendicularly to the arm 26. When the back is swung the arm 25 slides in this recess. A plate 28 is rotatably mounted in the side wall of the bed and is connected to one end of .a draw spring 29 the other end of which is connected to the bed. The plate 28 carries an [arm pressing the curved arm 26 into the recess of the plate 27 and against the walls of the recess. This pressure prevents the swinging movement of the back frame. The back frame is released for its swinging movement by a rod 3-1 operated by a hand lever 30 ('FIG. 11) and connected with the plate 28. The rod 31 is adapted to pull the plate 28 out of its pressure-exerting position.

It is apparent that the above described examples have been given solely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that they are capable of many variations and modifications within the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable body support, particularly of the folding type, comprising a frame having a seat section and a back; hinges connecting one end of said seat section with one end of said back, means supporting the other end of said seat section, downwardly extending V-shaped supports located on opposite sides of the bed, each of said supports having a supporting arm, means pivotally connecting the upper end of said supporting arm with said seat section adjacent said hinges, another supporting arm, means pivotally connecting the upper end of said other supporting arm with said back adjacent to said hinges, said back-connected supporting arms having a longer upper portion, a shorter lower portion extending at an angle of less than to said upper portion in the direction toward the seat-connected supporting arm and a curved portion joining said upper portion with said lower portion and resting upon the ground when the bed is in use, said back-connected supporting arm constituting a two-armed lever the fulcrum of which is the point of contact of said curved portion with the ground, whereby when the back is swung upwardly the effective length of said lower portion is shortened and the effective length of said upper portion is increased while when the back is swung downwardly the effective length of said lower portion is increased and the effective length of said upper portion is shortened, a transverse tube interconnecting the lower ends of the first-mentioned supporting arms of the two supports, another transverse tube interconnecting the lower ends of said other supporting arms of the two supports, arms swingably mounted upon opposite sides of said seat section adjacent the first-mentioned supporting arms, and a plurality of projections carried by the firstmentioned supporting arms, the last-mentioned arms being adapted to engage any one of said projections.

2. An adjustable body support in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first-mentioned means consist of curved foot supports extending in the direction of the support and swingably mounted upon said seat section, said foot supports being foldable against said seat section.

3. An adjustable body support in accordance with claim 2, wherein each of the second-mentioned and third-mew tioned means comprises a bolt, means supporting said bolt below the frame, said bolt having a flat surface portion directed toward the frame, and a hook connected with the upper end of a supporting arm and adapted when the supporting arm is in a vertical position to receive said bolt.

4. An adjustable body support in accordance with claim 2, comprising a plurality of tubular pieces mounted upon the first-mentioned transverse tube and screws connected with said tubular pieces and extending through the second-mentioned tranverse tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,113,145 4/1938 Van Wyck 297-l9 2,200,647 5/ 194-0 Vanderploeg 5-111 2,670,785 3/1954 Machet 5 37 2,679,284 5/ 1954 Luckhardt 297-29 2,719,573 10/1955 Lesser 29729 2,724,428 11/ 1955 Sellner 297-320 FOREIGN PATENTS 205,192 10/1959 Austria.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE BODY SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY OF THE FOLDING TYPE, COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A SEAT SECTION AND A BACK; HINGES CONNECTING ONE END OF SAID SEAT SECTION WITH ONE END OF SAID BACK, MEANS SUPPORTING THE OTHER END OF SAID SEAT SECTION, DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING V-SHAPED SUPPORTS LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BED EACH OF SAID SUPPORTS HAVING A SUPPORTING ARM, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE UPPER END OF SAID SUPPORTING ARM WITH SAID SEAT SECTION ADJACENT SAID HINGES, ANOTHER SUPPORTING ARM, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE UPPER END OF SAID OTHER SUPPORTING ARM WITH SAID BACK ADJACENT TO SAID HINGES, SAID BACK-CONNECTED SUPPORTING ARMS HAVING A LONGER UPPER PORTION, A SHORTER LOWER PORTION EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE OF LESS THAN 180* TO SAID UPPER PORTION IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD THE SEAT-CONNECTED SUPPORTING ARM AND A CURVED PORTION JOINING SAID UPPER PORTION WITH SAID LOWER PORTION AND RESTING UPON THE GROUND WHEN THE BED IS IN USE, SAID BACK-CONNECTED SUPPORTING ARM CONSTITUTING A TWO-ARMED LEVER THE FULCRUM OF WHICH IS THE POINT OF CONTACT OF SAID CURVED PORTION WITH THE GROUND, WHEREBY WHEN THE BACK IS SWUNG UPWARDLY THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID LOWER PORTION IS SHORTENED AND THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID UPPER PORTION IS INCREASED WHILE WHEN THE BACK IS SWUNG DOWNWARDLY THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID LOWER PORTION IS INCREASED AND THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID UPPER PORTION IS SHORTENED, A TRANSVERSE TUBE INTERCONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF THE FIRST-MENTIONED SUPPORTING ARMS OF THE TWO SUPPORTS, ANOTHER TRANSVERSE TUBE INTERCONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID OTHER SUPPORTING ARMS OF THE TWO SUPPORTS, ARMS SWINGABLY MOUNTED UPON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SEAT SECTION ADJACENT THE FIRST-MENTIONED SUPPORTING ARMS, AND A PLURALITY OF PROJECTIONS CARRIED BY THE FIRSTMENTIONED SUPPORTING ARMS, THE LAST-MENTIONED ARMS BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ANY ONE OF SAID PROJECTIONS. 